


Time Riddles

by upsetrise



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen, Multi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26016268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/upsetrise/pseuds/upsetrise
Summary: Jack, Jamie and Sophie are suddenly sent back in time to Colonial Burgess. Why they have been sent back is a complete mystery. They have to find a way back home before it's too late and also to find out why they've gone back in time in the first place.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	1. A Reunion In Snow

**Author's Note:**

> I've recently been through a really rough patch in my life that I'm still recovering from, it's been hard. A lot harder than I thought it would be. And to get out of my 'rut' so to speak, I've decided to start writing my fanfictions again. This is an older work, posted on fanfiction.net. It's a rewritten version of an even older work. The first two chapters are about three/ two years old which is why in later chapters the writing style may be different. I'm hoping to post this once a week at least.

1

A Reunion in Snow

The white powder flickering down outside was the first sign. Jamie couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face as it fluttered down on to the football field.

"Mr Bennet, will you please tell us what's so interesting about outside?" A voice asked. He turned his head as quickly as he could. His teacher, Mrs Jones was staring at him. Her eyebrows raised so high it looked like they were about to fly.

"No." He said quickly snapping his head to the board.

"Then would you please answer this question?" She tapped the math question on the board. Jamie sighed and stared at the numbers. It wasn't hard, just annoying.

He answered and then slumped in his chair letting her write the answer down. He looked to his side where he saw Claude and Caleb whispering together. They too kept looking at the snow outside.

The rest of his friends exchanged glances with each other and Pippa even winked at him.

"Not long to go now." Pippa mouthed while pointing at the clock above their heads. The ticking of it echoed around his eardrums. Not long? Then why did every second feel like an hour? Scratches of pens and coughs around the classroom seemed to make it even longer.

The bell finally rung, a chorus of angels. Jamie cleared his textbooks up. He grabbed his bag and threw it onto his back. He was the first out of the classroom. He heard his friends call after him but he didn't stop as he ran through the hallways, he needed to get outside.

Once he was at the parking lot, he felt the snow touch his nose but the ever so familiar feeling of glee didn't come. It looked like it was just normal snow. Jack wasn't here. He heard his friends panting behind him.

"Is he here?" Pippa asked, clutching her knees as she caught her breath.

"No but he said he would be here." Jamie replied, looking at his taller friend.

"Maybe he's just late." She said as he looked back at the sky. He said nothing and there were mutters from behind him.

"I don't think he is. He said he would be back with the first snowfall. It's November! This is the first snowfall."

"Well if he comes, tell us. We're going to head home. You should too, Jamie." Pippa said taking a long look at him. His other friends nodded and before five minutes had passed, they all headed to their parent's cars.

There was a honk from across the car park.

"Jamie! Come on we're going to be late!" His mother was sat in the driver's seat looking a little worn out. Taking another quick look at the sky, he ran over and got into the back.

"Sorry Mom." He said putting his seatbelt and stared at the snow again.

"Is there something interesting about the snow, Jamie?" She started the car up and began to pull away. The snow had started to become heavy and the windscreen wipers were in full force.

"No." He said leaning back.

"Well it doesn't look like it's going to stop." His Mom answered with a sigh.  
They drove to Sophie's kindergarten about ten minutes later and picked her up.

On their way home, they hit a lot of traffic and the snow seemed to get even worse. It just kept falling and falling until all around the sky was raging. They managed to make it home and dredged through the snow up to their house.

"The weather's pretty bad this year." His mom said as she held Sophie's hand.

She took her into the house while Jamie stayed outside. He went around the side of the house to get to his backyard. There he saw a dangling leg with brown tattered pants and a sloped figure wearing a familiar blue hoodie. A brown staff was resting off his stomach and he could make out the wispy stands of white hair that poked out.

He walked gently up and scooped the snow into his hand. He began to shape it into a ball. Once it was done, he threw it at Jack. The lanky teen was startled as he fell from the fence into the snow below. Jamie began to laugh.

Jack's joined. A deep and hearty laugh. 

"Well I should have expected that."

"You deserved it. I thought you were going to come to school." Jamie said crossing his arms. 

He saw Jack stand out of the snow and clutch his staff.

"I was going to but I was running a bit late." Jack mumbled rubbing his neck with his spare hand.

"Was it Bunny's fault. Did you get into a fight again?"

"Funny but no." Jack said walking over to him. His footfalls so soft they made hardly any sound.

He placed his cold hand on Jamie's head and ruffled it. 

"You've gotten taller." Jack said with a smile.

Jamie looked over to the comparison. He had but only by a few inches and was now standing near Jack's waist rather than his thigh.

"Don't spirits grow?" Jamie asked.

Jack laughed again. "I've been alive for over three hundred years so I think the answer is no."

The younger boy's eyes widened. "Three hundred years? You look like a teenager!"

"Well let's just say that's Manny's magic. The other guardians don't look very old either, do they?" Jack clutched his staff and looked over to the house.

"But you're the only one who looks really young. How come?" Jame asked.

"No reason. Now come on shouldn't we go and get Sophie?"

Jamie noted that Jack had dodged the question. Why had he?

"Jamie, come on!" Jack called as the boy noticed him opening the back door and heading inside.

"Wait up!" He called and followed after his best friend.

Inside the house, his mother had started to prepare dinner. He could hear the steady chop of a knife as he sliced through the potatoes she was cutting. She had already placed some vegetables in a pot, the steam rose and curved as it reached the ceiling. Sophie sat on the kitchen table. Her blonde hair was more of a mess than normal. All over the table there was drawings and crayons sprawled out.

As Jamie took his shoes off, Jack walked past him and he noticed his mother shivering.

"Close the door! It's freezing." He shut the door quickly and looked over to Jack who only shrugged. Jamie walked over to Sophie and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up and saw Jack. A massive grin broke out on her face. Wasting no time she got out of her seat and raced up to Jack.

"Jack!" She cried. Her hands were covered in all sorts of paints. Red was on her fingers and blue on her palm. Jack leaned down to her level and gave her an awkward one handed hug. He didn't want to get paint on him.

"Jack?" His mother asked. Jamie looked up and noticed that she had started laughing.

"Yeah Jack Frost, Mom. Don't you remember saying?"

"It's just an expression. You've made an imaginary friend up about it? Honestly you two have a wild imagination." She waved a hand and laughed again.

With that she went back to cooking. Jamie looked over at Jack. The older boy was gripping his staff tightly. His veins could be seen through his pale skin. His head was looking at the floor and his shoulders were tense.

"Jack…" Jamie called but it was too late. Jack flew up the stairs. The younger boy took after him and into his bedroom. His window was open and he could only see Jack's retreating figure.

"Jamie! Come and help with dinner!" His mom called.

"Coming!" Jamie said with a sigh. Could he really call Jack his best friend? He knew nothing about him. He closed his window and saw that Jack had now disappeared. He would have to try and find him tomorrow.

"""

Jamie put his pen down and rested his head on his desk. He couldn't focus on his homework. He began roll his pencil up and down. What could he do about Jack? It wasn't like the spirit was just going to tell him. He had only known him for a few months but it still hurt that his 'best friend' didn't trust him. He stayed like this for about ten minutes, occasionally glancing at the snow outside. It had began to fall more softly, it looked so fragile.

He turned his back and closed his eyes. A couple of seconds later there was a soft knock. Jamie turned around and saw Jack floating got up quickly and opened the window. Jack flew in.

"Hey Jamie." He said forcing a smile on his face.

"Are you okay Jack?"

"Yes I'm fine! Now come on I think we should get going." His eyes didn't meet Jamie's.

"Going where?"

"Well I think it's time we have a sled race. I know a perfect spot for it. Why not bring Sophie along as well?"

"But it's late and dark. Mom will kill me."

"Where's your sense of adventure! Come on we won't be gone too long. I'll sneak you two out."

"Okay." Jamie drawled out and gave Jack a nod.

Five minutes later, Jamie was standing in his coat and gloves. He hadn't bothered getting out of his pyjamas. Sophie was in her's too. She clutched his hand and looked like she was about to fall asleep on the spot.

Jack took them down one by one. Sophie was the last to be taken down. Once they were on the ground, she tried to snuggle into Jack's chest. He knew this feeling. It was a familiar feeling, something from long ago.

"I'm sleepy." She mumbled.

"I know. I know. We won't be long. You'll get cold." He placed her down on the ground and patted her head. She stared at him. He could make out her green eyes underneath her choppy hair. She rubbed them and gave a large yawn.

"Now come on let's go!"

Jamie took hold of Sophie's hand and they started on their on the way through the town. Jamie chose to use this time to tell Jack about what had happened over the last couple of months such as his eighth birthday and the time that Monty had tried to give Cupcake a valentine's gift in July.

Jack laughed at that. Throwing his head back and letting his whole body shake.As he was laughing, they were getting further and further out of the town and towards the park. The street lights lit up their way as they crunched through the snow. Lights were on but there were no people on the streets.

In turn Jack told him about the guardian's meetings and the complaints that came from Bunny. It was usually because Jack was there and the cold breeze that he brought.

"We're here!" Jack announced as they arrived at a large hill. It was in Burgess's park that was on the town outskirts.

"Didn't I need to bring my sled?"

"No! Of Course not. We're going to do it my style." Jack said with a wink.

"I think not, Jack Frost." A voice echoed. It was male's and seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

"Who's there?" Jack called. He stood in front of Jamie and Sophie, hiding them from view. He clutched his staff and looked into the sky. There was a black figure, a cloak billowing in the wind. He couldn't make anything more out because it was too dark.

"Let's just say I'm an old friend. I'm truly sorry for what is about to happen, if there was someone to prevent-no. I'm sorry." The sky rumbled around them, clouds began to draw in and the whole world began to turn.

It felt like the trees were just going around and around into a circle until at last the three of them plummeted into some snow. The children were unconscious and Jack could feel himself fading, he could only see the children lying and that was the last thing he saw before the world faded to black.


	2. Familiar Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been working on chapter three over the past week but I'm still not as far as I want to be because of work. I may be working on it for the rest of night to be honest but it will be recent writing as this is how far I got two years ago so it will be nice writing it fresh.

Familiar Name

"Jack. You can't do that! Mother is going to be furious!" A familiar voice said. He looked down and saw a small figure crouching down behind her. He could just make out the mop of brown hair that belonged to his sister.

"She won't catch me." He said with a wink. He only heard his sister laugh. His favourite laughter, it always reminded him of bells.

He finished what he was doing, wiping his hands on his trousers.

"Jack. Come on, we need to get home. Mother would have started dinner."

He took hold of her small hand and let her lead the way. "What do you want to play tonight-," What was her name again?

He woke up with a start, his heart hammering in his frozen chest. Jack scanned his surroundings. Piles of snow around them and trees as far as the eye could see. He looked up to the sky and it was a clear blue. How long had he been out? Then two names registered in his mind. Jamie and Sophie. Where were they? Where had that person sent them?

He quickly got up and dusted the snow off his hoodie. He took a moment before flying up into the air, the wind guiding him up to the sky.

Over the canopy of the trees, he scanned everywhere. He saw smoke in the distant. Maybe a sign of civilisation? He flew back down to where he had woken up. There were impressions in the snow that looked like two bodies had been lying next to him. Had this person taken them? He needed to find them, get them home and then contact the Guardians about a new threat.

Trying to clear his head, he flew back into the air and saw the smoke once more. It was the only clue he had. He went in the direction of the grey cloud and landed down to where a fire was. The logs were charred and there were still sparks in the ash. Whoever had made this fire hadn't been gone for long. As he walked by the fire, he saw footprints. They were small and then he noticed a larger set. Two people had been here. He started to follow them. Through the woods taking turns here and there. It wasn't until he had been following them for about five minutes until he noticed a small black glove. He went over to it and picked it up. It was Jamie's. These people had taken him.

He picked up the pace and flew through the footprints. About three minutes later, he stopped in his tracks. The footprints lead out to a small village. Wooden lodges with candles flickering from the windows. Children ran laughing wearing colonial clothes. Clothes that Jack had worn a long time ago.

"It isn't possible." Jack whispered clutching his staff.   
He had to be dreaming, right? However, as he looked on, he saw people he recognised. There was the mayor's son and the baker's daughter clutching hands. They looked a bit older, but they were still recognisable. Maybe he was imagining this. He pinched his skin.   
"Ouch." He muttered and his eyes widened.   
This was real. He took one careful step out into the open. He placed his staff over his shoulder and looked closer at the buildings.  
People had their washing out, old cotton shirts and leather shoes. There were chickens roaming around, pecking at the snow in hopes to find leftover food that people had dropped. A young man came running and went straight through Jack. It felt like his insides were getting torn apart. He clutched his chest and tried to catch his breath. No-one in this time period believed in him, he had forgotten this feeling. A feeling that made him want to die, again. He shifted to the side, so he was no longer in anyone's path. He carried on following the footsteps watching as they stayed at the side through the village.

It wasn't long until he caught up to the people he had been trailing. It was a tall man but he couldn't see his face because it was hidden underneath a large brim hat. A smaller figure, a young woman perhaps, was following him. It was then Jack noticed Sophie's telltale blonde hair. The young woman was clutching Sophie. He landed behind them.

"Sophie!" He called. His voice fell on silence. He had no choice but to carry on following them. They headed towards an old house. It was made of the same wood from the village but it looked a little worse for wear. There were cracks in some of the windows and the wood was chipped. There was something familiar about the house but he couldn't place what.

The older man turned and Jack saw that he was clutching Jamie. He went into the house, stamping the snow of his boots and leaving them by the back door. The girl did the same. They were about to close the door so Jack flew quickly in. Inside the house was small. There was a large bed covered in a sheet and white bedspread. There was another room, but the door was closed. A fire roared in the background and a bent figure was warming her hands.

"Mama, help us." The young woman said and she placed Sophie down by the fire.

The other woman gasped and stood up. She started to take Sophie's coat off. Jack couldn't see her properly as her face just came shy of the fire's light. The men placed Jamie by Sophie.

"What strange clothes." The older woman commented as she too took Jamie's coat off.

"I found them lying in the snow. I think they must have lost their family." The man said taking his coat off. He began to shake the snow off.

"Thomas! Not in here, do it outside!" The mother shouted.

The man sighed and collected his coat before going to get the snow off it.

"Who do you think they could be Mama?" The girl asked. She had knelt by the fire and was looking at Jamie.

"I'm not sure. I've never seen them around the village before."

"The boy. He looks just like him. Do you think…"

The mother tensed. "You know we don't like to talk about him and no."

The girl replied in a sheltered whisper. "I know. It's been six years since Mama. I miss him."

"We all do but he's not here anymore. We just have to move on."

Jack began to feel his heart beat his chest again. The way they were talking like they had lost someone and this was his old village. Could it be?

"Emma, don't go and bring old memories up." Her father said as he closed the door and left his boots by it.

The name confirmed it. Emma, that had been his sister's name. He looked at the man, Thomas. This was his Father standing right before him. His memories had been fragmented ever since he got them back but he could form a small picture. Strong hands that would pick him up and carry in the summer. His Father had always smelt of grass and flowers when he worked in the fields.   
He truly looked at his Father. Six years for them and almost three hundred for him. His Father had aged quite a bit. His hair had more grey and there were shadows across his eyes. The way he held himself had changed. Before, his shoulders would have been raised high. Now there was a tiredness and they drooped.  
His mother had changed the least. From what he could see of her, her hair had grown out but she was still relatively the same. Then Emma.  
The last time he had see her, she had been ten, chubby and wide eyed. She was now a young woman, tall for her age but still shorter than him. Her hair was long and still chestnut brown. However her face had changed. She didn't have the infectious smile he remembered. Her eyes were heavy lidded and there were dark shadows there as well.

"Emma! I'm here!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. If there was just a chance, she was still young. 

The girl froze and Jack's eyes widened.

"Mama, did you hear that?" She asked looking around.

"Hear what?"

"Jack's voice. It was so faint."

"Emma stop please." Her mother covered her face with her hands. She let out a heart-wrenching sob and Jack felt tears prick his eyes.

"But Mama-,"

"Emma. That's enough." Her father said putting his hand on her shoulder. "We need to get our guests comfortable. Let you mother grieve in peace."

Emma nodded and helped her Father move the two children. Jack didn't follow. He could only watch his mother sob. He wanted to touch her but he couldn't. His hands would go right through her. Oh Manny. Right now he had never hated his immortality more.

He stayed there for a while. Until the sun had set and night had entered. The snow outside was still bright so it illuminated the small room. The fire's embers had died out long ago. The house felt colder without it but Jack wouldn't have been able to tell. Everyone had headed to the bed in the spare room.

Soon there was movement from the bed. Jamie was awake. He let out a little shiver and buried himself in the sheet.

"Jamie!" Jack cried and rushed to him.

The young boy let out a yawn. "Jack, where are we?" He looked around the room.

Jack laughed bitterly. "Well, do you remember that weird voice and spinning?"

Jamie nodded.

"It turns out that spinning sent us back in time. To 1718 to be exact."

"So we're not in 2012 anymore?" Jamie gulped and began to notice all the things that didn't make sense to him such as the very old house he was in. 

"Yes." Jack replied with a grimace. 

"Then who's house are we in?" Jamie asked.

Jack tensed and clutched his staff tightly. "My family's." He said looking at the floor.

"Your family? Then we need to tell them that we're awake! They must be so happy to see you."

"Jamie." Jack sighed and finally met the young boy's gaze.

"They can't see me."

Jamie looked confused. "If they can't see you. Then how did you become Jack Frost? Do they know you’re Jack Frost? Why are they in a different time?"

"Those are stories for another time. For now, you're just going to have to pretend you're from this time."

"But how do I do that?"

"I can help you. For the time being you should go back to sleep. We need to find a way to get back home." Jack walked over to the window.

"But what about Sophie? She won't understand."

"I'm sure Sophie will be fine."

"This is just so weird. Time Travel!" Jamie clapped his hands. Of course he didn't see the bad side of it yet.

Jack was about to reply when a door creaked open. He turned around to see his sister walking across the room. Jamie froze.

"Oh my you're awake." She said with a yawn and smiled. She was wearing a long nightgown and had braided her hair to the side.

"Yes Ma'am." Jamie said clutching the cover.

She let out a small laugh. It was reserved not as care-free as it used to be. The bell laughter that Jack had been so used to was gone.

"Ma'am? I think that name should be used for Mother, not me."

"Oh I'm sorry." Jamie tried to bury himself underneath the cover but only pulled it off from Sophie.

"My name is Emma. Now it is late. I'm sure my parents will have questions in the morning for you."

"Yes."

"Goodnight and what's your name?"

"Jamie. And my sister who's asleep is Sophie."

Emma nodded and then headed back to the other room.

Jack watched her go with lingering eyes. The tears had started again. Would they ever end?

"Is that your sister?"

"Yes, now get some sleep. We can decide what we're doing in the morning."

Jamie rolled over and closed his eyes. He heard Jack sit down on the bed.

That night, he struggled to get to sleep because all he could hear were the muffled cries of the teenager.


	3. Family Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to try and focus on Jamie's interactions in this chapter and how they are staying there, but I'm more looking forward to the next chapter where Jack shares his secrets.

Family Ties

Jamie awoke to a stream of light coming through the window, the beams of light settling on the bed. He could see dust notes twirling in the air. He heard the crackle of a fire and turned to see a figure bent over a small fireplace, their hands reached out towards the lick of the flames. He looked to the other side of the room where he saw Jack leaning on a wall. Jack's hands were clutched tightly around his staff.

The figure then turned, and Jamie found himself looking at a woman. She looked similar to Emma, the nose and eye shape were the same, but the woman's eyes were lined with crow's feet that danced as she tried to smile at Jamie.

"You're awake," She said. 

Her voice was croaky as if she had been crying.

"Where am I?" Jamie asked feigning innocence.

"In our home. Now I have a lot of questions for you and your sister?" She pointed at Sophie who was still asleep.

Jamie nodded and gripped his sister's hand. She moved a little mumbling something incoherent in her sleep, but she did not wake up.

The woman waited a minute before continuing.

"First though I'm sure you would like to break your fast. I'm afraid that there is only bread and soup that we can offer."

"Erm thank you." Jamie said and watched how the woman's lip quivered as she looked at him.

She pulled the cloak from her head and picked up a bowl that had been resting near the fire, a large wooden spoon was placed in it.

The woman came over to the bed and passed it wordlessly to him. He took it into his hands and had a spoonful. It tasted watery and of potatoes, he had never really liked potatoes. They had a strange earthy taste.

From behind him, he heard Jack move and come over to him. Jamie turned his head to look at the older boy.

"When she starts asking questions, I'll help okay?" He said leaning on his staff.

Jamie grunted as a reply, he didn't want to say anything as the woman might think he was slightly weird. Jack's Mom. He reminded himself. He was with Jack's family; a family he had never heard about.

His stomach began to rumble and he had a few more mouthfuls of soup trying to ebb his hunger.

Jack's Mother stood up when he was on his eighth mouthful and the soup was almost gone. She walked to the fire again and opened a small wooden cupboard. She pulled out a large slab of bread. He was sure the right word was slab because it was like the types of bread that Jamie had seen in bakeries, expect less fresh. He had never had any before because his Mother had always brought sliced bread.

With both hands she broke a piece off with a large crunch. Crumbs fell to the floor like a small snowstorm. She walked back over and gave him the piece whilst taking the soup off him.

Jamie bit into it, it was crunchy and hard but tasted better than the soup. Although it was dry, he managed to eat a few more pieces before deciding that the dryness was getting a bit too much.

"You do not want anymore?" Jack's mother asked.

He shook his head.

"Well then I suppose we can begin. What is your name?" She asked, her voice wobbling and lip quivering. Jamie wondered why she was so upset.

"Jamie." He said.

There was a flicker of something in the woman's eyes but Jamie didn't know what it meant.

"And your sister?" She prompted.

"Sophie...What's your name?" He asked bluntly or perhaps it was just a child's curiosity.

The woman smiled which looked odd with the welts of tears in her eyes.

"Elizabeth but please call me Mrs Overland."

Overland? Was that Jack's real surname? The question reeled in Jamie's head. Another secret Jack had kept from him. He really didn't know anything about the spirit. It was unfair.

"My husband found you and your sister lying in the snow wearing strange clothes. What happened? Where are your family?"

The probing questions pulled Jamie out of his head and he felt overwhelmed at how he was going to answer them. Luckily Jack came to his rescue.

"Just repeat what I say, okay?" Jack said his voice so quiet Jamie could barely hear it.

"My parents caught the plague and died." Jamie said repeating Jack's words.

Mrs Overland gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Jamie didn't know much about the plague. He only knew that people a long time ago could get ill and die from it but then he remembered he was in the past, a long time ago.

Jack said some more things and Jamie repeated them feeling like he was in a school play.

"Sophie and I didn't know what to do. We found the clothes and left home. Then there was a big snowstorm and we get lost. I don't know what to do." Jamie said making sure his lip quivered.

As he finished his last sentence, Mrs Overland's eyes were spilling with tears. Her hand was reaching out as if she wanted to move his hair away from his face.

"Your poor things. I will ask- Joseph that is my husband's name- if you can stay with us. You have nowhere to go and this can be your home." She smiled and to affirm it, nodded at him.

"Thank you," Jamie said in whisper surprised at the woman's hospitality.

Even Jack seemed stunned. He was watching the woman with a smile. Jamie wanted to ask him so many questions but he knew the time wasn't right with Mrs Overland still being in the room.

At that moment, Sophie decided to wake up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eye.

"Mommy?" She asked in a tired voice.

She looked around the room but frowned when she saw Mrs Overland.

"You're not Mommy." She said frowning.

"Mommy's not here remember Sophie?" Jamie said clutching her hand.

"Oh the spinning. We flew." She mumbled remembering the events of the previous day.

Jamie squeezed his sister's hand hoping that she wouldn't say anything more. Mrs Overland was watching Sophie with a confused expression. It was probably about the comment and Jamie wasn't sure that Sophie wouldn't blurt everything out.

A bang came through the door and Emma came in panting. Her eyes were wild and her braid coming loose, tendrils of hair puffing out of it. She took a deep breath before looking at her mother wild's eyes.

"Mama, one of the baker's boys has fallen over. I'm not sure what happened but we need you."

Mrs Overland gave a grim nod to her daughter.

"I will go. Will you please watch the children for me?" She asked her daughter.

Emma gave her a curt nod and Mrs Overland went out into the snow, her cloak billowing from behind her as the wind began to pick up. Emma closed the door and rubbed her hands trying to get them to be warm.

"I'm hungry." Sophie complained looking at her brother. Jamie gave her a soft smile and broke a few bits of the bread knowing that it would be difficult for her to eat.

She began to eat the bits quickly, frowning when she noticed that they were dry but she ate them anyway. Emma came over to the pair of them and gave Sophie a smile.

"Hello Sophie, it's nice to meet you." Emma said sitting on the bed.

"Why do you know my name?" Sophie asked with her mouth full. It wasn't a pleasant sight.

"Jamie told it to me." Emma said with another smile. This time it wavered, and Jamie wondered why they all smiled like that. Like they wanted to cry every second.

When he smiled, he let his teeth show and that he wanted to the world to know why he was happy. Sophie and his Mom smiled the same. He wondered if he could make them smile the way he smiled, maybe that was what he could try to do while Jack sorted out how they were going to get back home.

Sophie looked at Jamie and then shrugged.

"Okay then."

She began to reach for a bit more bread so Jamie broke a few more pieces off and that kept her entertained.

Jamie saw Jack watching Emma with a frown. The older boy was reaching a hand out towards her, his fingers almost on her shoulder, when his hand went straight through her. Jack shuddered and pulled away with a gust of wind. Emma shivered and looked around the room with a frown.

"That was strange. I'm sure I just felt a gust of wind."

She looked around to the fire and then back to the bed, shaking her head.

"Mama's right. I need to let it go."

Jack frowned and clutched his staff tightly looking at the crevices on the floor. His eyes were wet with tears. Jamie wanted to do nothing more than jump up and hug the spirit but he knew he couldn't do that.

Emma seemed to dismiss the strange occurrence before she turned back to Jamie.

"Will you tell me what you told Mama earlier?" She asked trying to smile. Jamie wanted to hug her too. She looked so sad.

Jamie repeated what he had told her earlier trying to keep it as short as possible so Emma wouldn't ask him any questions he wouldn't know how to answer. Sophie had now finished her breakfast and was listening to the two of them with a disinterested gaze.

"I'm bored." She mumbled a couple of moments later pulling on Jamie's sleeve.

"Well if you are bored Sophie, then what about if the two of you help me with preparing tonight's supper. We have a few ingredients that need using. I have to prepare it today as I don't know how long Mama is going to be." Emma said getting herself off the bed and stretching her arms.

"Can we cook lots of things?" Sophie asked beginning to climb out of the bed.

"Well it cannot be a great feast but I will see what I can do." Emma replied with a large smile at Sophie. Despite the smile there was still sadness festering in her eyes.

Jamie began to get out of the bed and noticed that he was wearing a very baggy shirt that went to the floor. He was careful getting out of the bed so he didn't trip up. He pulled the shirt up and it felt soft to the touch.

"Where are our clothes?" He asked Emma.

"They're drying by the fire. They are still very wet from the snow. There are some spare clothes in my parent's' bedroom, although they may be a little big. They belonged to J- someone who used to live here." Emma replied as she walked to the fire.

Jamie nodded and he took his sister's hand as the two of them headed into the other bedroom. As they entered he noticed that it was very bare like much of the house. There was a bed similar to the first one and a large cupboard that Jack flew over and opened. He saw the clothes and the older boy frowned.

"They probably will be a little big. There's an old dress of Emma's in here for Sophie but you'll have to help her get it on." Jack said handing the clothes to Jamie.

Around five minutes later both Jamie and Sophie were changed. Jamie was wearing a cotton shirt, this time a little bit smaller than the other one but it was still baggy. Jack had managed to find him some pants that he had rolled up at the hem so they fit a little better. There were even a pair of leather shoes that felt small on his feet. They were the only thing that seemed to fit.

Sophie's dress was large made from brown wool and eerily similar to the dress that Emma had worn so long ago but of course Jack hadn't mentioned that. In all the two of them looked like they belonged in this time.

"We should go back to Emma." Jack commented walking towards the door.

Jamie walked forward trying to get used to the way the leather shoes felt.

"Not yet. Jack, why won't you tell me why your family can't see you?" Jamie finally asked, all the questions bubbling to the surface.

Jack shook his head.

"Jamie, I told you that was for another time." He said and frost began to spread out from his feet. He looked at the frost in surprise.

"No! I want to know. Why is your family so sad? You're my best friend Jack but you won't tell me anything! It's unfair!" Jamie stamped his foot as he raised his voice.

"Jamie, Emma will hear you." Jack said putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I don't care." Jamie huffed and he crossed his arms.

"I want to know."

Jack let out a shaky breath.

"Tonight. I will tell you everything tonight."

"Really?" Jamie's tone sounded almost whiny.

"Yes. Spend the day with Emma. I'll be back tonight." Jack said with a grimace and with that he opened the window and left.


	4. His Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not American, but I know a little about American geography.

4

His Past

With Jack gone the day seemed to pass incredibly slow. Jamie helped Emma prepare the evening meal which turned out to be some very rich meat, he was sure that it was beef and more potatoes much to his dismay. His job was to watch as the beef was turned on a spit. At least that's what Emma had called it.

He was sitting by the fire watching it turn while Sophie ran around the house pretending that she could fly like Jack. It was when the beef was almost cooked that Jamie stood up and stretched. He wanted to go out and play in the snow but he was unsure what Emma would say or even what life was going to be like now.

"Jamie, are you okay?" Emma asked as she walked over to him. Her cheeks were flushed with red and her hair had become even more unkempt.

"Yeah. I just miss my Mom." Jamie muttered realizing for the first time that he was stuck. He didn't know how they were going to get back home.

Emma gave a smile. This time he think he understood it, was that was it like when you missed someone? That you wanted to smile but your lip quivered as if would betray all your secrets. Maybe that's what Jack felt like all the time. He wanted Jack to come back, he wanted someone familiar. Emma was a stranger to him no matter how much her presence seemed to soothe him.

"It will be hard. I-I know what it's like to lose someone." She whispered so softly that Jamie strained to hear it.

Lose someone? Had Jack been taken away from them? Had the Guardians taken him away? There were so many questions that Jamie wanted answering but he didn't know how long he would have to wait. Instead he just shrugged and carried on with his tasks.

He didn't look at the way Emma watched him with a frown. She looked conflicted but of course that was all unknown to the young boy who was wrapped up in his own head trying to think of theories about how Jack had become Jack Frost.  
=======

The winter sun was beginning to set and the fire which had been lit in the morning was beginning to die out, only small embers licking the wood. Jamie watched as Mrs Overland prodded it with a iron rod trying get the sparks to light up again.

She looked up at the sky and sighed wiping a bit of sweat off her brow.

"What's the matter Mama?" Emma asked clearing up the dishes from where they had ate their evening meal.

"I cannot relight the fire. Joseph will have to get more firewood in the morning. It's going to be a cold night." She said and rested the iron rod next to the fire.

Jamie agreed. It was already getting cold and he was sitting as close to the fire as he could clutching Sophie's hand in his. The young girl was yawning watching the fire. It only took a couple of minutes before she fell asleep on his shoulder.

Joseph came in, or Mr Overland as Jamie had been told to call him taking off his boots and leaving them by the door. He looked at Jamie and Sophie.

"I see you are awake. I'm sorry I'm late. Mr Towley wanted me to lift a few grains of lumber for him." He said as he cracked his back.

"Is there any food left?"

Mrs Overland frowned as she looked at her husband.

"There is some bread but Joseph they are overworking you…" She trailed off.

Mr Overland almost seemed to not hear her.

"We need the money."

"I know but-," Mrs Overland went over to her husband and whispered something in his ear.

Jamie had a feeling that it was about him. Joseph nodded and looked at him with a nod.

"I'll ask Mr Towley tomorrow. He's young and fit enough. Give him and the girl one day to rest. Now I must have my supper." He hugged his wife and went to eat.

Jamie had no idea what they were talking about and he didn't really want to know. His sister was getting heavier on him and he knew he was going to have to move her to the bed soon. Luckily Emma came to his rescue when she saw him struggling.

She scooped her up, moving her hair out of face. Sophie was snoring, her mouth wide open. Emma tucked her in and stared at her for a moment. She turned to Jamie.

"How old is she?" She said looking at Sophie's chubby face once more.

"Three." Jamie said.

"Such a young age to lose her mother, and how old are you Jamie?" Emma's eyes were gazing with a strange curiosity that Jamie hadn't seen on her before.

"Eight…why?" He asked a little hesitantly.

Emma's curiosity seemed to simmer down as she turned her eyes to look at the floor.

"I was near you age, ten when it happened." She trailed off, lost in her own world. Jamie watched her for a moment.

"Emma?" He asked.

Her gaze was unfocused and her arms shaking. Her eyes were covered in tears and a paleness had taken on her skin.

"No. No. He's not here. He's not here." Her voice was shattering. Fragments of glass dropping to the ground that Jamie had to walk over carefully toe by toe.

The boy knew that look in her eyes, she may be older than him, but he knew fear. He looked around the room to see if he could see Pitch Black but there was nothing, so what was causing Emma to be so afraid? Jamie walked forward and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Emma?" He asked once again.

Emma's eyes seemed to register him and then she blinked.

"Jamie…what happened?" She asked innocently as if she didn't remember. Jamie noticed that her hands were shaking.

"I don't know." Jamie admitted because he didn't. Had Emma had a flashback? He knew that people could get them sometimes.

With shaky hands, Emma tried to compose herself.

"I would get some rest Jamie. You will be coming into town tomorrow with me." She said before walking away and going to her parents bedroom.

She closed the door behind her and he heard the voices of her parents asking her things. He didn't really listen to it, instead sitting on the bed next to his sister. He didn't know what to do until Jack came back. Perhaps he could find a game to play? He wasn't sure if any the Overland's owned any games or books. He hadn't seen any.

He didn't have to wait long and watched as the front door opened and closed. Jack stood with his staff in tow. Somehow the spirit looked paler and Jamie wasn't sure how that was even possible.

"Hey Jamie," He said gesturing to the door.

Jamie nodded and jumped off from the bed and walked to his best friend.

"Are we going somewhere?" Jamie asked.

"Yes so it's probably best if you put your coat on, it's still cold out there." Jack said eyeing the skyline outside where a small flurry of snow had begun.

Jamie ran to get his coat and put it on. It felt a little bit wet, but he hoped that it would be enough and ran back.

"Better climb on my back." Jack said as he bent down.

Jamie clambered on holding on Jack's cool hoodie. He looked down at the blue and could see frost in each little crevice. It was almost like the frost was holding the fabric together. He held onto the spirit's shoulders as they went outside.

Jack waited a moment before calling the wind and up the two of them went into the air. The wind whipped Jamie's hair and he felt a slight chill but right now he felt like Wendy in Peter Pan soaring through the sky. Except she had soared through London and he was soaring through a large forest.

"This is amazing!" Jamie said laughing, his voice full of glee. Why had Jack not done this before? He knew what he would want to do every time Jack came to visit now.

"I know," Jack laughed.

"Do you want me to go faster?" He asked slightly turning his head to face Jamie.

"Yes! Yes!" Jamie hooted in the air. He never wanted to stop flying.

Jack seemed to pick up the speed, the wind howling all around them and he began to dart through the trees laughing and hooting at the top of his lungs. He even did a somersault and Jamie gripped onto his shoulders tight. It was like being on a rollercoaster ride. He didn't want to end but eventually Jack began to slow and came to a crescendo and was now floating down towards the ground.

Most of the scenery had been a blur to Jamie but now he finally took his surroundings in. They were on a cliff and he saw an expanse of rock and a cave nestled into the side of a mountain. He didn't recognize it but then again, he was in a different time.

Jack walked to the cave where water was dripping down, he helped Jamie off and the rocks felt cool to the touch but soft at the same time.

"Where are we?" Jamie asked sitting on a pile of rocks that resembled a toadstool.

"Somewhere near the Rockies probably." Jack said with a shrug.

So, he was near a mountain range he had only been to with his Mom and Sophie on a day out when they had all decided to go away for a weekend. Jamie had only been six back then but he could remember he had scoured a mystery book telling him that there were a lot of secrets to the mountains.

"Why are we all the way out here?"

"So we can talk. I know you want to know everything Jamie and I suppose there's going to be lots of questions?" Jack asked with an eyebrow raise. He seemed to be his normal funny self for once which was a relief to Jamie.

"Yes. Lots." Jamie said with a grin.

Jack's manner changed and his shoulders drooped.

"It's so my family don't hear you talking to yourself. Emma has very sharp eyes and ears."

Jamie wasn't sure what to say to that. He could only think of when she had been acting weird earlier. Maybe he should tell Jack about it?

The older boy clutched his staff to his chest as he sat across from Jamie. His figure become hunched and Jamie thought for a second that the boy looked tired.

"Where do I start?" Jack seemed to ask himself.

"Start at the beginning. Isn't that where stories start?" Jamie asked, puzzled.

Jack laughed.

"That's true. I will warn you Jamie, my memories are not all there but I'll try my best from the beginning."  
====

The fear. It had felt riveting, like a river flowing down a mountain providing fresh water. Winter turning to spring, a freshness that the monster craved. It had laid dormant for so long but now it needed to feed on that fear. It began to crawl from the shadows, a grin spread on its face, teeth sharp and pointy.

How long had it waited for a moment like this? It needed to find the source as that would be the beginning of it's power being restored, but where was it? It didn't know. The monster opened it's eyes as it heard footsteps.

It was in a void floating and a giant clock stood in front of it. A man who was brighter than the sun made the monster shriek. He couldn't look at it because he was too bright.

"You're awake." The man said, his voice calming, all knowing.

The monster knew that voice. The voice who was it's doom, it's future, past and present.

"Father Time." The monster hissed.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend, Pitch Black?"


	5. A Place To Call Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have the whole thing planned out in my head, it's similar to the original draft but makes a lot more sense. I just find it so strange that I was sixteen when I wrote the original.

A Place To Call Home

5

Jack took a moment, looking at the sky. He knew he should start from the beginning, but those memories were hazy and faded. Who was he kidding? He should tell Jamie everything, everything that he could remember.

"I was born in 1695," Jack said rubbing his neck with a smile.

"And well you've met my parents."

Jamie laughed.

"You're old."

Jack wished he could laugh with him. Was he old? North was old. A person grew old, they didn't stay the same age for over three hundred years.

"But not wise," Jack chastised. "From what I remember I know my parents struggled. My Father was always working and my mother was always cooking."

"They're still doing that now." Jamie looked outside the cave. Snow was beginning to fall lightly touching the floor. Fragile, powdery and hurt.

"But despite that they were the ones that taught me how to write and read. I was five when I started learning, my mother would have me write my letters over and over until they were perfect. Father would read to me and have me recite poems. They believed that reading would help me later in life." Jack thought about how he would sit on his Father's lap as they poured over a heavy bible that had been bound by leather. It was the only book they had ever owned.

"I don't like reading for school but reading about mysteries is better, did they make you read about them?" Jamie asked, not really understanding that books were a luxury.

"They told me stories about England where their parents had come from, and what it was like growing up for them." He couldn't remember the stories but the way his mother's voice had sounded, soft and soothing was something that warmed his cold heart.

"Most of my friends who I played with in the village thought it was weird but they never judged me for it. I didn't care back then, spending days outside far too much. The boys didn't always join me, sometimes I was on my own but I didn't mind. It wasn't until my sister was born when I was ten, did I truly understand what it was like to have someone to play with." He took a breath watching as Jamie's chest rose and fall. His eyes were wide and he was listening with rapt attention.

"She was my shadow from the time she could walk, she would follow me everywhere. The people in the village knew that wherever I was, Emma wouldn't be far behind. I began to play pranks on people from the village to entertain her, I was mischievous for her. I loved hearing her laughter." Jack wished he could hear that laughter again but he knew that she wouldn't be that small girl ever again. That time had already passed.

"I can't imagine Emma being little like me…" Jamie trailed off.

Jack reached over and flicked the boy's nose.

"Everybody was your age once, even me."

"I know that but she seems so grown up." Jamie replied looking at his best friend.

Jack silently agreed, she was grown up. She was so different from the girl that he remembered. She had become someone without him in her life which she had to become, and she was strong because of it. If the tables had been turned and it was Emma who had died. Jack wasn't sure he wouldn't have been able to hold it together. He had never been good at holding it together, choosing to bury his emotions right down to the surface until they threatened to boil and spill over into his mind.

"She was a goofball when she was younger, always wanted to join in my pranks. However when I turned thirteen, I was selected to help one of the farmers in the field to watch his flock. This was a job only available in summer and spring but it paid well. The first couple of weeks went well until my sister started following me out of the house because she wanted to be with me."

"Sophie does that when I want to go and play with my friends." Jamie mentioned.

"I think it's a sister thing. So that was how most of my days were spent helping my family bring in money. The years quickly passed and that was how we spent time. However it was the winter that I was about to turn eighteen when my sister asked me if we could go ice skating. I agreed and bought two pair of ice skates of a girl who didn't want them anymore." Jack thought about how if he had never bought them, they he would have still been alive. However he would have never become a Guardian. Although he was in the past, he couldn't change his past and he wouldn't. No matter how much sometimes where he wanted to be alive again.

Jamie didn't say anything, instead he waited for Jack to continue.

"I remember her being so excited she even woke up early because she couldn't sleep. She woke me up bouncing around the house. We left after breakfast and headed deep into the woods where the pond was located. It's the same pond near your house Jamie."

Jack watched as Jamie's eyes widened. Jack could tell that Jack had decided to focus on the pond and he hoped the boy understood. Understood that was he about to see still visited him when he tried to sleep. He didn't really need to sleep but it was nice to escape reality now and again. However that privilege had been taken away by the nightmares.

"We had a good hour of skating but then she ended up skating over to the middle of the pond where the ice was thin. I begun to panic, telling her stop. She did and the ice was cracking underneath her feet. I remember taking mine off so I just had bare feet and walked across the ice. I had my staff with me," He pulled the original staff closer to him.

"The ice was beginning to crack even more and so I told her to look at me and not be scared. I hooked her waist around the staff's crook and traded places with her. I saved her but then I plunged into the water myself." Jack stopped letting the words hit the air. He wanted the memories to settle between the friends like a silent promise, to never be spoken again.

However Jamie was clueless to this silent prayer. "And then what happened?"

"I died." Jack said quietly.

Jamie gasped.

"You-you died?" He sputtered.

Jack didn't look at the boy. "Yes, it's why I don't want to talk about it. I saved my sister and that's all that matters. I'm dead Jamie."

Jamie frowned. "You don't look dead to me."

Jack didn't reply instead choosing to sulk.

Jamie walked over to him and placed his hand over his chest. His heart was pumping and began to speed up.

"Your heart's beating, you're not dead." Jamie said with such a childlike innocence that Jack was sure that some kind of strange warmth was spreading over him. Which was strange because he hated any feeling of warmth but this was a nice warmth. He wanted to savour the feeling forever.

"You're alive Jack and you saved your sister, is that why you become Jack Frost?" Jamie's face was beaming with a smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Yeah I guess it is." Jack said, feeling Jamie's happiness. His death hadn't been for nothing. He had saved his sister and given her a life. Here she was six years later, alive and well. He knew that she wouldn't be the same girl, but she was alive. And sometimes that was all that mattered.

"We should get back. It looks like the sun's coming up." Jamie whispered as he looked at the morning sky.

Jack watched as the pink began to appear. They were further inland so of course the sun was beginning to rise, it was probably already arisen back at home.

"Back onto my back then." Jack laughed.

Jamie clambered back on and off they flew. The journey back was quiet as Jamie's breathing became soft and the young boy fell asleep. Jack wasn't sure how long it took them to get back but it was around an hour, the sun rising up even further and a slight panic rose in his chest. He needed to get him back before his family woke up so they didn't ask why he was out in the cold. He pulled at the wind urging it to take him faster and they soared. The sun was almost risen by the time they landed back near the house.

"Jamie, we're back." He said.

Jamie yawned and climbed off him. He walked in front of Jack, rubbing his eyes and looked at him with a bleary stare.

"You need to get some sleep, you've been awake most of the night." Jack said.

"I'm not tired." Jamie said with another yawn.

Jack laughed. He followed Jamie into the house and he settled into the bed. Jack made sure to take his coat off and placed it back near the fire.

He turned back to Jamie who had settled back into bed. His eyes almost shutting but he looked like he wanted to say something to Jack. He pointed at the bed. Jack walked over and sat down, making sure that he didn't wake Sophie up. She was cuddled up to the pillow, her snores loud and clear. Jamie then began to ask his question.  
==  
If you were to ask Emma if she was an early riser before the incident she would have said no. However afterwords when she saw him plunge into the water in her dreams, she would wake up panting. Her sheets often laid in sweat. Her mother had called them night terrors. Emma thought she was going insane. Night terrors were for children, something illogical. She was sixteen, almost seventeen. An adult almost grown. She would be married off soon but would she scare her husband off if she kept screaming her dead brother's name?

She had awoken from another of the night terrors. This one had been worst than the last, she had sure there had been eyes watching her. Eyes that wanted to feed on her fear and it sent a shiver through her.

As she got up from her parent's bed, she heard her parents sound asleep. However there was a voice coming from the other room. She recognised it as Jamie's and began to pad to the door. She opened the door slightly. She couldn't see him properly but could see his shadow sitting up. She focused on his words.

"Where did you go today?" He asked with a yawn.

Emma thought for a second that he was talking to her or talking in his sleep but he was sitting up. The boy was awake. There was a pause before he answered.

"What about the Guardians?" Jamie whined.

Emma wanted to ask what on earth the boy was talking. Perhaps he had gone insane after his parents had died and he was particularly good at hiding it? She was suspicious of Jamie. He didn't act like how a child would act if they had lost their parent. Grief could destroy someone. Emma knew that too well. She had let grief destroy her because what else could she have done? Jack had been her best friend.

The people in the village tutted when they saw her, saying that she was a lost cause because she never talked to anyone. She was happy to sew clothes at the mayor's house and that was what kept her going but in reality she wasn't sure how long she could keep going.

"Oh, I don't know then." Jamie muttered. That was almost the final straw before she heard what Jamie said next.

"We can figure it out Jack, I'm sure."

Jack. Her brother's name. Jamie had just said it.


	6. Sophie's Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter doesn't seem forced, I needed it for plot relevance as the next chapter is kinda important.

Sophie's Adventure

6

Jamie was currently on his way to the mayor's house with Emma. He was tired and kept yawning but that was nothing compared to Emma giving him strange glances all morning. It had started from when he had first woke up. Emma had been silent, telling him that they were heading to the mayor's house and then into the village.

So here he currently was, following after her in the snow. He was wearing what he assumed were Jack's old boots as they were far too big and he kept tripping up. He had wanted to wear his coat but had decided against it. His clothes looked weird to people of this time and he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Instead he had borrowed Mr Overland's travelling cloak. It didn't quite keep the cold away but it was big enough to cover his entire body.

Sophie had joined the pair of them dressed in more of Emma's hand me down clothes to keep her warm. Despite her little legs she was able to keep up with them.

Jack was following behind, invisible to Emma. He was flying on the wind lazing about as if he had no other care in the world. Jamie knew that wasn't true though because he cared about them. 

He had been thinking about how Jack had died. It explained why everybody was so hurt in the family. Jamie had never lost someone really close to him, sure there had been great uncles and aunties on his Mom's side but he had never met them so never really felt sad. He knew that if he had lost his Mom or his sister than he would be upset. He truly thought he was beginning to understand how Jack's family were so sad.

As they trudged through the snow, Emma lead them through the woods. Part of Jamie wondered if they would actually visit the town first. He wanted to go. It was Burgess, three hundred years ago! How cool was that?

Instead they seemed to be heading down a path that was covered in snow. The trees were a bit sparser here, the open sky more visible. It took another five minutes until they appeared by a large house. It was still a cabin looking building like Jack's house but it was visibly larger, smoke rising out of the chimney.

Emma walked forward and knocked on the door. She knocked gentle and an old lady answered the door.

"Ah Miss Overland!" She croaked, cracking a wizened smile.

The old lady was wearing a maid's cap and a long brown dress that trailed onto the floor.

"I brought Jamie and Sophie with me today, I hope you don't mind." Emma gestured to the two of them

The old woman looked at them with a dismissive gaze. She turned back to Emma.

"Who's children are they?" She asked.

"They are orphans. We are looking after them." Emma quipped.

The woman grumbled. "Very well. The mayor is away for business anyway. Come in."

She moved out of the way and made sure to let the three of them in. Jack walked in and the woman shivered.

"She seems fun." He muttered.

Inside it was a lot warmer with a fire roaring, the wood crackling. Two arm chairs sat near it. They sat upon a carpet that looked like it had seen better days, the fabric was worn. Emma headed towards the armchair and sat down in it.

She beckoned to Jamie to take the other seat. He picked up Sophie's hand and led her to the seat.

"It's warm." She mumbled.

As Jamie sat down, he hoisted her up onto his lap and she settled comfortably

The old woman brought Sophie a large dress covered in holes. Jamie noticed that it was a wedding dress, the style was something he didn't recognise but he could tell it was very old.

"Mistress is so glad you've agreed to do this Emma, this dress means a lot to her."

"I know." Emma muttered. "Can you pass me the darning kit?"

The old woman passed her sewing needles and bits of wool. She passed them to Emma who took them, her delicate hands picking up the needles and inspecting them. Jamie didn't know what to do so just stayed sitting watching them.

"I must ask Miss Overland, have you given some thought to your wedding?" The old woman asked, almost sneering at the girl.

Jamie thought the question was a little rude. Emma was far too young to get married.

"No, I'm afraid not." Emma replied threading the needle through the dress.

"Well you still have time. I am glad you have chosen to start apprenticing for the Mistress." The old woman moved over to the fire and warmed her hands by it.

"It makes such a change from the little girl who used to play with your brother. He was a very notorious troublemaker."

"What exactly is your point, Maria?" Emma said through gritted teeth. Jamie could see that the old woman's questions were getting to her.

"I know it is not my place to say this but I know that although your brother died, it has helped you grow up."

Jamie gasped, however Emma didn't react. She only looked down at the wedding dress in her lap.

"That miserable old bat, if only I was visible I would give her a piece of mind." Jack growled. His fists were gripped tightly around the staff.

Jamie found himself powerless. He knew he should stand up for Emma. He could be brave when he had wanted to. He had stood up to the bogeyman but this was a different type of brave that Jamie had yet to conquer so he stayed silent, but seethed that he didn't know what to do. It was times like this when he wished he was grown up like Emma, she seemed to know what to do all the time. Even Jack did. He knew that technically Jack was a kid but he was three hundred years old! Surely that made him an adult?

"Yes it is not your place. Please leave us in peace." Emma said her voice calm. She didn't even lift her head to look at the old woman.

"Very well, Miss Overland." The old woman mumbled and left the room.

Once the woman had left, Emma looked up at Jamie and slumped. Her eyes were wet with tears and her whole body was shaking. She let out a small sob and let the dress fall to the floor. Jamie knew what he had to do then, He carefully lowered Sophie to the seat. He walked over and knelt besides the chair to look at Emma.

"Emma?" He asked in a small voice.

Emma seemed to realize that she wasn't alone and looked down at him a smile.

"I'm sorry Jamie. I did not want you to see me cry like this." Emma said wiping her tears away.

"It's okay, she shouldn't have said those things." Jamie muttered looking at the door where she had left.

"I know we have not told you, but my brother died six years ago. It is still very much a fresh wound in our family. Although-," She trailed off with a sniff.

"Although?" Jamie asked, puzzled.

Emma shook her head with a smile.

"It can wait for a bit, do you want to learn how to sew?"

She picked the dress back up.

Jamie who knew that he wouldn't have anything better to do, nodded his head.

Jack flew over to them to watch them which left little Sophie unnoticed.  
-

Sophie was bored. There was nothing to play with in this big house. There were no toys, and no other children her age. Her big brother was being boring! All he wanted to do was speak to Emma. Sophie liked the dress she was making, she wanted to try it on but it would be too big for her. Instead she had decided that she was going to go explore the big house, and maybe she could go and play in the snow. She was sure Jamie wouldn't mind. She wasn't going far!

She went to the door and opened it expecting to be in a large hallway but the house seemed to go on and on. She looked to see if she could find that strange old lady but even she had disappeared. Sophie shrugged. The house was too big, she would just go outside instead. She remembered that the front door was behind her and so walked forward and went out into the snow.

As long as she didn't go very far then it didn't really matter. She wondered if there were any other children she could play with. It was fun playing in the snow as you could make snow angels. Sophie loved laying in it, wiping the snow and then jumping back up to admire her work. However it did get boring after a while. A much more fun activity was snowball fights.

So as she walked out, she began to wonder through the woods. Big tall trees that were unlike the ones at home. She was a princess walking through an enchanted forest likes the ones she had seen in her story books. She could be a princess of the snow who just wanted to keep an eye on her kingdom and to see all the woodland animals. Sophie was so entranced in her daydream that she didn't notice that she bumped into someone. They let out an 'oof' as the pair of them tumbled to the ground.

She looked up to see a young boy with sandy hair. He looked about Jamie's age.

"I'm sorry." She said rubbing her head. She should have paid more attention to where she was going!

"I think we should have both been careful." The boy muttered. He looked down at the girl.

"I've never seen you before. Where are you from?" The boy asked, sounding a little puzzled.

"Burgess." Sophie said with a puffed chest. That was where she was from.

"How have I never seen you? All the village children play together." The boy frowned and crossed his arms.

Sophie didn't want to talk to this weird boy anymore.

"I live in Burgess with my older brother, we play here all the time." She pouted her lip at him.

"Then what's your brother's name?" The boy said almost mocking.

"Jamie."

"Jamie? I know James but not Jamie." The boy seemed deep in thought at that.

"Where are you going?" Sophie asked him. Maybe he was going to go and play with the other children.

"To my papa's, to show him where he can cut the wood from the trees. He needs firewood." The boy said this like it was common knowledge.

Sophie was bored. Why did everyone want to work like grown ups? She decided to start walking but the boy called after her.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"An adventure!" Sophie called as she disappeared into the trees.

Sophie kept walking but the trees never stopped and she was getting very cold. So cold that she just wanted to lay in the snow and fall asleep. However she knew that she had to keep going. She had to find her way back because she have been gone far too long so she kept going as the trees got thicker. Panic was building in the young girl's mind, she wanted to be somewhere safe. She didn't know where she was.

She wanted her brother, Jack, that girl Emma or even the strange boy from earlier. Maybe even the weird old woman! She didn't know what to. The feeling to sleep was getting stronger and she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

However she suddenly saw far off in the distance, a pond and it looked like the one where Jack lived. Maybe if she waited there, Jack would find her. And with that plan in her mind, Sophie began to make her way towards it.


	7. Danger and Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda had fun messing with people's reactions in this but this week has felt so long.

7

Danger And Rescue

Jack had a strange feeling in his stomach that he couldn't seem to place. A sense that something was going to happen and he hated it. He didn't know what it could possibly be. Maybe Pitch had come crawling back? He shook his head at that notion, it seemed ridiculous. The Bogeyman was practically powerless now, at least he hoped that was the case. He looked at Jamie having a go with the sewing needles, his hands were fumbling so Emma was having to hold them and direct them and show him what he needed to do.

He looked around the room to check on Sophie but noticed that she wasn't anywhere to be seen. His heart began to hammer. He needed to find her. He began to fly throughout all the house, scoring high and low for her but could not find her at all. He found the old woman muttering to herself but no Sophie. His panic was beginning to build, where on earth could the three year old have gone?

Jack knew that he needed to tell Jamie. It didn't matter if his sister thought Jamie was crazy. Sophie was a lot more important right now. He flew back to the pair of them.

"Jamie!" He shouted.

The boy flinched but ignored him. Jack only hoped he was doing it because Emma was here.

"Jamie! Listen to me, Sophie has gone missing!" Jack raised his voice.

Jamie had no choice but to look at him then. He dropped the needles and Emma caught them in surprise.

"Isn't she in the house?" He asked.

Emma looked at where he was looking at with a frown but didn't say anything. Jack caught her out of the corner of his eye, he did think that it was slightly odd that she wasn't saying anything but his sister wasn't important at the moment.

"No I have no idea where she could be." Jack replied. 

"Then we need to find her." Jamie's eyes were wide and the boy looked frightened. Jack understood that look, the look of a worried brother. Manny knows he had worn it enough times in his very short life.

Jamie turned to Emma who looked puzzled more than anything.

"Sophie's gone missing and she's not anywhere in the house." Jamie said in a stricken voice.

Emma blinked once.

"How do you not know that's she in the house?" Emma asked.

Jamie stopped short and Jack flinched. How could they explain that he was talking to her dead brother? She would surely think Jamie was making fun of her.

"I can't explain…" Jamie trailed off.

"Why can't you explain Jamie? There are so many things about you the last couple of days that do not make sense." Emma stood up running a hand through her hair.

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked.

"Well you don't act like anyone I have ever met before, your language is different and perhaps the fact you said my dead brother's name yesterday as if you could see him." Emma's eyes had grown wide like she had gone crazy. It almost sounded like this had been building for a while. Jack wanted more than anything to reach across and bring her into a hug, to caress her hair and say that it was okay but he couldn't do that.

"Who are you Jamie? Please tell me! I feel like I have gone insane." Emma choked on a sob as she stood up and walked over to the fire.

Jamie didn't know what to do but Jack couldn't help him. He didn't know what to do. As much as he wanted to interact with his sister he knew that chance was very low, she might have accepted that he was gone and there was no belief to help her see him.

"I promise I will explain everything! Sophie is missing. I want to find my sister, please once we find her I'll try to explain." Jamie pleaded. He was looking at Emma.

The girl looked like she wanted to run and bolt for the door.

"You will explain everything?" She asked.

"Yes everything! We need to go, Sophie could be in danger!"

"Very well."

With that Emma placed the dress back on the armchair and the three of them left outside. Part of him wondered if it would be best for him to fly on ahead, to see if he could find Sophie's footprints.

"I'm going to fly on ahead." He mentioned to Jamie.

"Okay." Jamie said out-loud.

Jack knew Emma's look was one of fear. Did she think Jamie could see ghosts? Part of that made him hopeful. Maybe he would be able to speak to his sister? The boy shook his head. What sort of fantasy was he living in? His sister was frightened out of her mind. He didn't want to know what that would do to her mind. She already looked like she was going to fall apart any second.

He didn't dwell on it any longer as he launched himself into the sky. Here he could see the small town of Burgess, the houses barely bigger than ants from how far away he was. He looked back towards the mayor's house and flew closer to the ground. He was inspecting to see if he could find small footprints headed into the forest. Jack began to follow the trail and soon came across the path of a boy with sandy hair. He didn't recognize the boy but he was muttering to himself.

"What a strange girl, where did she go?" He mumbled looking around.

Jack took that meaning Sophie. She must have wondered into the woods and he really hoped that she hadn't wandered far because it was getting colder and a small child getting hypothermia was highly likely.

He flew back further into the sky to see if he could see her but there was no luck. He could see Emma and Jamie making their way towards where he was and the boy so their hope of finding her was rising up.

He flew back and Jamie saw him in the air flailing his arms in the air.

"Where is she?" He asked looking up into the sky.

Jack watched as Emma looked at him. Her expression hidden. He knew that when she was told the truth, all the emotions would come piling out but right now Sophie needed their attention.

He turned around and flew ahead, the two of them dragging their weight behind him. He hoped that they could get to get her in time. He pleaded to Manny to keep her safe.

Sophie was cold. She was so cold. She didn't know how long she had been waiting by Jack's Pond. She had been counting the trees as she waited and hadn't really noticed that the ground had become slippery. Before she knew she was actually in the middle of the pond and was too scared to get back. Sophie didn't want the ice to break so she was sat down, her bottom becoming numb and cold. However she knew that if she moved, Jamie or Jack wouldn't be able to find her. Instead the three year old patiently waited even when the ice around her was beginning to crack.

The strange feeling was back in Jack's stomach, it was like a primal ache that reverberated through his bones. Something was very wrong. Something dangerous was going to happen and it was around Sophie. A dread washed over him. If she was near the pond…no it wouldn't happen again. Not after six years in this timeline. They just needed to find her and she would be okay. Jack tried to comfort himself but the dread wouldn't go away.

He pushed at the wind, panicking. Jamie looked up and saw him going faster. The boy began to run dragging Emma with him and they starting to pant as the pond came into view. Jack wanted to freeze as he realised Sophie was sitting in the middle of the pond singing to herself. He saw out of the corner of his eyes Jamie and Emma arriving at the pond edge.

Emma was calling her name and Sophie stood up smiling. That was when Jack knew that the ice was cracking. Sophie began to run forward and the ice splintered. The last thing he saw of the three year old was her brown dress and a small scream as she plunged into the water below.

Jack was frozen, staring at the hole where she had gone in. Sophie…had fallen in. Those three words registered in his brain. He knew he should move but he couldn't find the motivation. Why couldn't he move? He had saved his sister without hesitation but then he realized, the water below. Deep, deep water that had taken his life. What about it took his spirit life as well? He didn't know if he could die. He didn't want to try and so stared down at the black hole.

"Jack!" A voice called from behind him, so faint that he couldn't really hear it. He knew that he needed to move. He needed to move.

"Jack Frost! Get my sister out of that lake now!" Jamie screeched. His voice went through Jack and Jack knew then his fear was stupid. He was a guardian, he had fought Pitch Black. He could take a little water.

He lurched himself through the air and down into the water. He entered with a loud splash. The water was cold and dark. A memory came to the surface when he had first woke up as Jack Frost, the water around him almost peaceful. He had felt alive then. He used that memory to pull himself through the water. He saw Sophie, her small body floating being dragged by the heavy clothes she was wearing. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back through the water.

They both emerged out of the water spluttering for air. Jack flew with her towards the bank and laid her on the snow. Jamie saw them and ran to them. He wrapped his arms around the pair of them.

"Thank you Jack." Jamie whispered. There were fresh tears in eyes.

"I will never let anyone ever again fall into that pond." Jack said with determination because he knew that was true. He knew with his whole heart and soul.

"We need to get her inside before she starts to get hypothermia. Emma will have to carry her I'm too cold." Jack said as he looked at her sister.

She was visibly shaking, her face white. She was looking at Jamie who was still hugging Jack. He wondered what she saw. Something invisible holding Jamie's arms up? He wanted to reach out and touch her.

"Emma," He whispered.

She blinked. "Jack?" She asked looking around.

Jack's eyes widened. That was twice now. Twice; she had heard his voice. Was it possible that she might be able to see him at some point? Jack decided to push those ideas back for later. Sophie was their top priority at the moment.

"Emma," Jamie looked at her.

She turned but her eyes were still wide.

"I know you're scared but my sister could get hypothsermia!" Jamie said.

"Hypothermia," Jack corrected.

Jamie repeated and asked Emma to pick Sophie up. Emma said nothing only picked the girl up and they began to walk back towards the Overland's house. Jack flew right back Jamie.

"Jack, will Sophie be okay?" Jamie asked looking at him with pleading eyes.

Jack watched as Emma's shoulders tensed once again but she said nothing.

"She'll be fine as long as we can get her to the house and warm her up." Jack said.

Jamie nodded and the three of them picked up the pace. Jack watched his sister as he flew, knowing that his wonderful sister. Who had seen him die, who had endured for six years without him in her life. The craziness of the past couple of days must have shattered her whole world. He knew that she deserved the whole truth and nothing else. He only hoped that Jamie would be able to tell it for him.


	8. To Be Believed In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhoh Pitch is here.

To Be Believed In

8

That fear. It was pungent, so pungent as it floated through the time stream. A young boy was afraid of death for his sister. He hadn't felt fear like this in such a long time. It flowed through him bringing him some strength. His form was starting to reappear. Pitch could make out his hands forming, although they flickered into darkness now and again. If he could find this child then perhaps he could get an ounce a strength of back and use it to find other fear. He could become who he once was.

He looked at the swirling clock, the way the hands seemed to move faster and faster as he stared it. Was Father time sending him somewhere?

"You can feel the fear can't you Pitch?" The man said from all around him.

Pitch looked around trying to find out where he could be but didn't seem him anywhere.

"Go." Father Time, his voice consuming Pitch's soul.

The clock got faster and faster and Pitch began to spin. The world around him was nothing but a blur until he landed face first into some snow. He spat it at and looked at his flickering form once again. The fear was stronger here, it flowed throughout the land and the sky. It was time to find this child and consume that fear.  
=

They had managed to get back in time, Sophie was asleep covered in several layers of blankets and her breathing was soft, warm, alive. Jack was watching his sister pacing up and down by the fire. His parents were nowhere to be found but for once he was glad. Jamie and Emma were about to have a conversation that he didn't want them to overhear.

Emma rubbed her face before taking a shaky breath.

"Well you need to explain yourself Jamie," Emma said. She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing, her hair stuck to her head with sweat and her cheeks were bright red.

"I know." Jamie muttered. "But are you okay Emma?"

Emma didn't reply, only scoffed. "Well?" She prompted.

"I'm from the future." Jamie started off with.

Emma let out a bark of laughter.

"The future? I know you are a child Jamie but that is simply ridiculous. The notion that you could be from a different time…" She laughed again, almost sounding crazy.

"But it's true! Look at our clothes!" Jamie ran to get his coat by the fire and thrust it into Emma's hand.

"Have you ever seen these clothes before?" Jamie asked.

Jack watched as his sister inspected the coat. She turned it inside and out and then saw the label. She read the label and read,

"Made in China?"

She made the word 'china' seem foreign as she read it out-loud twice.

Emma sat down on the bed with the coat still clutched in her hands. She looked at Jamie in disbelief.

"It is true I have never seen this style before and I do not understand why there is paper in this coat but you're telling the truth?" She said, her words becoming softer and softer until Jack could barely hear them.

"Yes." Jamie answered.

"But how? Is the world that advanced, what year are you from?" Emma asked bewildered.

"2012." Jamie said abruptly.

"Three hundred years? Three hundred years?" Emma looked like she was about to faint again.

Jamie turned around and clutched her arm.

"Please don't be afraid of me Emma." He pleaded.

"I am not. I do not know how to comprehend all this." She rubbed her face.  
=

Jamie felt sorry for Emma, he knew that if he was in her situation and perhaps if he was her age he would understand, but he had been surrounded magic for a long time. He had believed in it ever since his Mom had told him stories about the tooth fairy, although a part of him would never understand why adults stopped believing in the Guardians. He didn't know how, no-one had ever explained it to him.

"So let's say I believe you Jamie, how did you get here?" Emma asked as she sat down on the bed.

Jamie snapped his head up to look at her as she pulled him out of his thoughts.

Sophie turned over mumbling something in her sleep. Jamie was happy that Mr and Mrs Overland weren't here because he wasn't sure what their reaction would be if they had found out that Sophie had fallen into the pond maybe if would have been that they would have never been allowed outside again.

Emma stared at him, still pale faced.

"I don't know." Jamie admitted looking at Jack.

The teenager was frowning as if the gears were turning in his head.

"Father Time," He muttered looking at Jamie with wide eyes.

"Father Time? Jack, what do you mean?" Jamie asked with a frown.

He heard Emma tense behind him.

"I've never met him myself but he's the being that controls time. I always thought he was a myth to be honest. I remember hearing stories about him in passing from the wind and other people I met. It was only when I joined the Guardians that I found out that he was real, I think Tooth met him once to ask about how to extract certain memories. I think he sent us here. He would be the only spirit with the power to do it." Jack's realization was perhaps a blessing.

"But why Jack?" Jamie asked, who still wasn't sure why they had sent back. All they had done was meet Jack's Family.

Jack shook his head.

"I don't know kiddo." He muttered twirling his staff absent mindly.

Father Time? So there was a spirit out there that could control time. It made sense.

Jamie felt a pressure on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Emma clutching it. She looked lost and tears were beginning to prick her eyes.

"Emma?" Jamie asked.

"There was one more question I needed to ask of you. You keep saying my dead brother's name...why?" She asked. Her eyes were so wide like lanterns lighting up the sky.

She looked afraid. Jamie knew that she had said that she wasn't afraid of him but what about if she really was, just because he was talking to someone who wasn't there? He knew he wasn't crazy. Jamie frowned. How could he explain this? He could see him; he was a ghost? He didn't know how to. He was only eight, how could he explain anything to a grown up?

Luckily Jack came to the rescue and flew up to his sister.

"She heard me speak, I think it's possible." He said to himself more than anything.

"Emma," He said once again. "I'm here," He said letting a snowflake fall onto the floor.

He picked it up with the wind and it began to float towards her. Jack urged it to land on her nose and it did.

They both expected her to blink back her tears and laughter to come out of her mouth. Or even for her to cry at seeing Jack but nothing happened. Emma stayed still, staring at Jamie.

The snowflake had melted into her skin, only a tiny water droplet remained and she wiped it away with the tears still falling down her cheeks.

"Why can't you see him?" Jamie asked.

"See him? You mean...you can see my brother's ghost?" Emma seemed to go even whiter, matching the sheet of the bed. She looked like the only ghost in the room at the moment.

"Jack, what's going on?" Jamie asked ignoring Emma.

Jack looked disheartened and scratched his neck.

"I think it's because she doesn't know I'm Jack Frost." He said looking away from the boy.

"Well if I tell her you are?" Jamie titled his head. To him it made sense, he could help them see each other.

"No, she's been through too much today...I don't know if it will work." Jack admitted as he turned back to Jamie. The teenager eyes were aligned with tears, freezing as they reached his cheeks.

"But," Jamie protested.

"Just tell her yes. That's a start." Jack whispered looking at his staff.

Jamie nodded and turned to Emma. The girl looked like she was about to faint. Her hands were shaking. Jamie walked across and clutched her hands. They were so much bigger than his. He gripped them tightly and she was shaking so much that he could feel it through his body. He wish he could stop her shaking, she looked so scared.

"Yes." He said with a smile. "He says, Hey sunflower. "Jamie repeated Jack's words.

Sunflower had to be Jack's nickname for her. Jamie often called his sister Soph when he wanted her play with him. It felt like they were closer as siblings but of course there was the fact that he didn't want to be with his sister all the time. In fact he was glad that she was asleep as she might make this very hard for all of them.

Emma let out a choke of laughter through her sobs.

"You can. He's here." Her laughter stopped and she fell to her knees as she landed on the floor, clutching onto Jamie's shirt.

"He's crying as well." Jamie told her.

Emma smiled at that. "All this time, I thought I was going insane but he's here...I wish I could see him." She trailed off.

It was cruel that she couldn't see him but at least she knew and Jamie didn't have to pretend Jack wasn't here in front of her properly now. She knew about her brother.

"I don't understand why all of a sudden he's shown up now..." She muttered looking at a spot where Jack wasn't.

"Emma he's by you." Jamie told him.

Emma turned her head to look at the left side so that she can could technically addresses him.

"I assume you can hear me?" She asked, eyeing Jamie.

Jamie nodded, knowing that she meant Jack.

"Jack, I do not know why you have shown up now," Emma had started crying again and she clutched her chest like her heart was hurting. "I wish you were there when I was younger. It's been so hard, I-, I miss you and I want to see you. Where have you been?"

She looked at the wooden floor, clearing tears out of her eyes.

"I can't explain properly. There's a reason Jamie can see me, but I want you to look after yourself. For now, I'm here and you've grown up so much. I'm glad I got see him." Jamie repeated.

Emma's tears began to stop and a scowl replaced her features.

"You cannot explain properly? Why? You are cruel Jack. I finally accepted you had gone only a year ago and now all of that was for naught. Why?"

Jamie watched as Jack's shoulders dropped. Jack tried to reach out and put his hand on her shoulder but he went right through. Jamie watched as his best friend shook his head and his breaths came quicker.

He had never seen Jack not be believed in but it looked horrible, for once in his life Jamie realised that Jack was just like him. He was a Guardian yes, but Jack felt different compared to the others because he still felt human. Perhaps it was because Jack had been human in his previous life.

"I don't know myself," Jack whispered. He didn't look at Jamie but Jamie decided to repeat it anyway.

Emma looked defeated. She was still kneeling on the floor, staring at the wood. She reached up and undid her braid, letting her brown hair fall.

Jamie didn't know what to do. He had thought Emma's reaction would have been a lot different but instead she had cried.

He looked at her and saw her lips move.

"I'm scared." She whispered.

Nobody said anything or moved as all of a sudden blank sand began to fill the room.


	9. Time Travel and Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We got a fight.

Time Travel and Tears

9

As Pitch helped himself back up, he looked around at the miserable village. He could feel the slight fear in the air, swimming from the children and adults alike. He was unsure of the time period but if he was to hazard a guess, it was a couple of years after the dark ages. He wanted to spit into the ground, the Guardians had always managed to defeat him even back here. The young boy's fear had gone, replaced by nothing. He growled, now what was he supposed do? Wait for another one to come?

A pang of fear floated through the air and his hand reached for it flickering in and out. This was it. As he touched it, it began to flow through his skin. A girl, maybe about sixteen and she was afraid of everything. Nothing made sense for her.

His body began to distort as he followed the fear through the air like a hound on the scent of a fox. As he got closer to this girl, the fear got stronger and stronger. It was a sheet covering her whole body. This girl, she was young not quite an adult which meant that was high chance he could use most of her fear and establish his body again. When he touched into someone's fear, he couldn't really see the person's life but he could see the source of the fear. She had been wearing her fear ever since she was ten years old. She had pushed it down and down until it had come bubbling to the surface. It was a buffet, a harvest that was all for his taking.

He got closer to the house and could hear sobbing from inside. She was talking to someone but Pitch didn't care. He needed this girl's fear and her fear alone.

Luckily for him the window was open and then she said the words that he needed to hear.

"I'm scared."

The words were like coming home, it was right. He reached for the sand that coursed through his power and piled into the room and let it fester, circling the girl. He laughed to himself as he launched into the room, drawing himself closer. This girl was a gold mine. Nothing was making sense to her, and he could build on that fear, make her afraid of everything. As he began to carry on circling around her. He started to feed, the fear coming off in waves. This girl would be his return, the drug that he had desperately needed after all this months. Pitch didn't know why Father Time wanted to help him, the man had always been neutral when it came to the Guardians affair. In fact Pitch had only meet him in the Dark Ages in passing. The two of them had sat for a while telling stories, Father Time telling him that there would be a future where he was no long powerful. Pitch of course hadn't believed him.

He should have believed him back then. However his so called friend had given him a chance to do things right, to do what needed to be done so why not take the opportunity? The girl in front of him began to cry. He laughed as the sadness melded into fear. He had always been good at manipulating different emotions. He fed a bit more, feeling his power responding to his fingers. He tested it out by sending a bolt of sand towards the wall. However the bolt was then shattered by a spattering of frost. Frost? Pitch growled. There was only one person who would do that.

"Jack Frost," He growled but then he stopped. Maybe this was the Jack Frost of the past? A thought formed in Pitch's mind then. He could use this. Manipulate the young and naive spirit into following him. However this plan quickly disappeared as he saw him standing his ground. He was wearing a blue hoodie, his eyebrows drawn into a scowl.

The Jack Frost of his time. He growled once again. He had trusted Father Time, but why on earth was Jack Frost in this time? There had to be a reason, and it was his old friend's fault. He shouldn't have trusted him. Of course this had been too good to be true, however he decided to use it to his advantage. This was his time to get his revenge.

"What are you doing?" Jack growled gripping his fist around his staff. Pitch thought that he looked angrier than he had ever seen the boy which was a feat in itself. The Guardian Of Fun, angry? Oh what sweet irony.

"What am I doing? Oh Jack, you know full well why I'm here." He smirked and he got closer to the boy.

"You're the Pitch of my time…" He growled launching a flurry of ice at him.

Pitch made sure that he melted into the shadows away from the ice.

"Is that the best you've got?" He laughed into the darkness and allowed the sand to develop into a twister. He launched it towards Jack who rolled out of the way landed into the house. The house shook a little and the girl stirred, and screamed as she noticed the sand.

It was another feast for Pitch as he began to suck into the power, it was building into his skin and soul. It was his old power, raw and rich. He was then knocked over by a bolt of frost that launched towards the man.

"You leave my sister alone," Jack shouted aiming his staff at Pitch.

As Pitch picked himself back up, he could feel laughter bubbling in his throat. This girl was Jack Frost's sister? She was human! A frail human afraid of everything. Jack Frost had once been human? Perhaps the only human turned spirit out of all the guardians then? Oh this was rich, this was something that he could use. As another bolt of frost launched itself at Pitch, he decided to retreat because he had a revenge to plan.  
=

Jack was left panting as he stared at his sister. She had stopped screaming and was now rocking back and forth in the middle of the room. His chest panged as he looked at her. It was his fault she was like this and he didn't know what to do. There had been many times in his long life when he had felt powerless and right now felt like the worst. He watched as Jamie came out of his hiding spot, glancing around the room to see if Pitch Black was still around. When there was a clear lack of him, he turned to Jack.

"Was that the bogeyman?" He asked, glancing quickly at Emma who was still held tight into a ball.

Jack nodded and laid his staff on the ground. He sat cross legged and sighed.

"He's the future one." He mumbled.

Jamie sat down across from him and frowned. "The future one? But why? Could it be Father Time as well?"

Jamie's eyes grow wide like saucers.

"Yes but it doesn't sound good. He was after my sister. Jamie…can you still see him?"

Jamie shook his head. "But I believe in him, how does that make sense?"

Jack thought long and hard about it, Pitch's powers didn't work in the same way that the Guardians did. They didn't even work the same way that his did. He lived off fear, Jamie wasn't afraid of him. So now he couldn't use Jamie's fears against the boy. However Emma on the hand was very much at risk and he hated it. If Pitch decided to come back, he would head straight for Emma. He had seemed weaker than the last time that they had fought but it still could mean that Pitch was able to best him in a fight. Jack rubbed his face, unsure of what to do. He had been thinking about going to the Guardians and asking for their help but he couldn't leave his sister now.

She mumbled something and then slowly crawled out of her position, she looked so gaunt and tired, he hated it. Pitch had done this to her, and he didn't know if she could even see the Bogeyman. Emma was looking at Jamie and she was wiping her eyes, she seemed to be coming to some sort of sense like she had been in a trance.

"What happened?" She asked in a whisper.

"The Bogeyman." Jamie replied, grimacing.

"Jamie, please. I have been through enough already. Stop your childish fantasies." Emma mumbled clutching her head.

"A bad spirit?" Jamie said after Jack told him to say it.

Emma nodded curtly. She seemed to accept that explanation and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Some colour had started to come back into her face. She began to sort her hair out, scraping it with her hands and playing with the hair tie. Once she was done, her hair was perfectly preened back into his usual braid. She knelt onto the floor, next to Jamie and tried to force a smile but it did not reach her eyes. The only thing that really gave away what had just happened was in fact the bloodshot eyes, but Jamie ignored that.

"Did Jack help me?" She asked the boy.

"Yes, he's a very bad spirit but I can't see him anymore." Jamie mumbled.

Jack wondered for a second. Had her crying been Pitch's doing? Would she accept who he was? He was terrified of finding out because she believed him to be a ghost, and he wasn't sure if she would believe in the world of spirits and guardians, despite how absurd ghosts were. He wasn't sure what they could do now. He could go and see if he could find Pitch, fight him and try to win. Or keep safe and waiting for him to attack. He felt like they were sitting ducks so what were they supposed to?

Just at that moment, the door opened and his Mother walked in. She took a look at Emma kneeling on the floor and frowned.

"Emma, my dear what is the matter?" She asked.

Emma looked up and bolted towards her mother wrapping her arms around her. Jack felt another pang in his chest, what he wouldn't give to be part of that hug. He walked towards them and leaned slightly. Even if he couldn't hug them, the illusion helped. He knew that Jamie was probably looking at him but he didn't care. His family were here, his sister was okay now but Pitch would return and he had to protect his sister.

"I do not know." Emma mumbled into her mother's chest.

Jack walked away from the embrace and let the two of them talk in hushed whispers. His mother fretting over her, touching her hair and hugging her even tighter. He sighed deeply and settled onto the floor. All of a sudden he felt a weight on his chest and saw that Jamie was hugging him.

"I thought you wanted a hug." He whispered up.

Jack smiled and patted his head. "Thanks kiddo."

The hug didn't last long though as Jamie pulled away when the two females looked in his direction.

"Jamie, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow. I know that you have been with Emma today, well Joseph has been talking to his boss and they said they would be able to take you on as an apprentice." Mrs Overland said with a smile.

"Apprentice with Mr Overland?" Jamie asked. Jack knew that Jamie had no idea what Jack's mother was talking about. 

"Yes working the fields, you're old enough. It will give you some money for winter." She replied wiping her hands on her dress.

"Okay." Jamie said with a nod.

Jack had forgotten how young apprentices started out in his time, but hopefully they would have to get home before Jamie had to do any more manual labour. He patted Jamie's shoulder and grimaced. It was just a matter of waiting to see what Pitch would do.


	10. The Worry Of A Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a weaker chapter than most but we're also at the halfway point!

The Worry Of A Mother  
10

Mrs Bennett sat staring at her cellphone, her insides feeling like worms. Or perhaps it was last night’s dinner not settling well, she didn’t even know why she had eaten when her son and daughter were out there with god knows who. She buried her head into her hands as the worst situations came to mind, they could have been kidnapped, taken away from their family and friends never to be seen again. They could have gotten lost, which was the only scenario that didn’t make her want to cry because it had been two-almost three days since she had last seen her children. All of the days had felt like they had blended into one long hour. She wasn't even sure on how time was passing, how was it passing when you wanted time to stand still? It would have given her more time to think about where her children, where her babies had gone. 

She had first woken up with a hole in her chest, knowing that something was wrong. Mrs Bennet had run into her children's rooms to see the beds unmade and Jamie's window open. She had ran outside hoping that Jamie had decided to get up early but when there was no sign of him, she had fallen to her knees in the snow. The hole had only grown bigger. 

The phone call to the police had been the worst because it confirmed that they were missing. The woman on the other end of the phone had listened, taking notes as she had blubbed down the line. Her neighbours, her friends had come to help plodding through the snow, looking and searching for signs.

She looked out to the window to see the snow and wondered if it would snow again, she hoped it didn't. She needed to see if there was any more signs of them. She had spent all day at the Police Station telling them the descriptions, giving witness statements wondering if this was just a horrible dream that she was living through. If the neighbours hadn’t been there, comforting her then perhaps she would have thought so but their presence solidified that this was real and was currently her reality. So here she was sitting by her phone, waiting for any news. She could go out and look again but it was so dark to see and the snow too deep in the woods.

It was strange how just a couple of days she was picking up Jamie and Sophie from school, how he had been talking about Jack Frost. Those days had only been a couple of days ago but she missed them already. She would have never thought that something like this would happen to her. Her children were always well behaved and listened to her, so the likelihood that they had been kidnapped was very real. Mrs Bennett looked outside again, her eyes drifting to the woods where a strange light was glowing. Wait..a light? Her heart was racing, could it be her children coming back to her?

Without a second thought, she picked herself up from her seat and grabbed her coat off it’s rack and slipped boots on before running into the snow. The light that was flickering over the trees looked very much like a flashlight, she knew her son was smart so he could have taken a flashlight with him. It was a logical conclusion. As she raced even further into the trees, she saw the source of the light and almost cried. It was a man holding the flashlight through the trees.

“Mrs Bennett!” He said in surprise as he turned around.

Mrs Bennett didn’t know the man, so she had no idea how he knew her name. It was too dark to make out what he really looked like, but he had long brown hair that she assumed was tied back. She couldn’t make out how old he was but she could see he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans which was much too cold to be wearing out in this weather.

“Who are you?” She asked, not moving any closer to this strange man.

“I was helping out with the search party, it’s such a shame what happened to them isn’t it?” He asked, rubbing the back of his head. The way he spoke, it put her on edge as if there was humour in his voice.

“Yes, they are my children. I want them home.” Mrs Bennett spoke, puffing her chest out. She would not be intimidated by this man. 

“Well I must go, it’s quite cold. I assume it’s quite cold where they are.” The man said turning away from her.

The last sentence caught her attention, it was if he knew what had happened to her children. Could she perhaps be looking at their kidnapper? 

“Where are my children?” She shouted running towards him, however she was all of a sudden stopped in her tracks. She tried to move her body but she was frozen into place. She looked at the man, her heart beginning to hammer and coming through her chest. What on earth was happening?

“They are safe at the moment, Jack Frost is protecting them. He is a good guardian.” The man said and she watched how his body began to fade into the dark.

Okay, it was official. She was going crazy. She was pretty sure it was like he was a shadow and why on earth was he talking about Jamie’s imaginary friend?

“I’ve lost my mind, I’ve actually lost it!” She said with a laugh, it came out as half laughter, half babbling.

“You haven’t. Your mind is probably struggling to see me, I’ve always had a problem with adults seeing me. I tried to copy someone’s form, but you saw right past it. I suppose that is where Jamie gets it from, he is quite famous for saving the guardians.” The man said, his voice filled the whole space around them. 

Was this man crazy as well? The way she talked about her son as if he knew him personally and the fact that he was famous? Jamie may have won some spelling competitions when he was younger but he wasn’t famous. The only logical conclusion that she could come up with now was that she was dreaming. Yes, she must have fallen asleep at the table and was having this strange dream.

“This is a dream.You’re not real.” Mrs Bennett said with a determination that she hadn’t felt since her children had disappeared. 

To her surprise, the man laughed and if she was to describe his laughter it was like it was filtering through the whole of the sky and time.

“I forgot how adults try to comprehend magic. They forget, they deny and lie. When you were a child, you believed in the Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny and Santa Klaus didn’t you?” The man asked.

“They are stories told by parents to their children, just like I told mine.” Mrs Bennett said, although she wasn’t sure why she was debating childhood icons with this dream.

“The loop continues, on and on for centuries. They are real, just like you believed long ago,” The man said. “In fact you can see part of me, which means you never really lost that childhood belief properly. You only accepted it because everybody else was at the time. Your son had to get it from somewhere.” 

Mrs Bennett thought back to her childhood and when she had turned thirteen. It had been her thirteenth birthday party and a week ago had it had been Easter. She remembered speaking about the eggs the Easter Bunny had brought and hoped that next year he would hid them even better for a challenge. She would never forget how her best friends had frowned, looking at her like she was insane. It was probably at that moment that she realized that maybe they hadn’t been real, but a part of her for years had been so sure that they had. It was nice to think that there was magic in the world. Magic that looked after the children, and gave them hope, ideas for the future and delighted their imagination. Yes it would be nice to think that was real. She really wished this dream wasn’t reading her subconscious, but it was her dream.

“Yes I suppose he did, but this is just a dream and you are a figment of my imagination, so please let me wake up.” Mrs Bennett tried to move again but she was still rooted to the spot, why couldn’t she move?

The man said nothing for a few moments, she expected to hear him breathing but there was nothing accept the wind and her breathing heavily. There was something nagging in the back of her mind that maybe this wasn’t a dream, because one she was very cold and two this didn’t feel like a dream at all. Dreams for her usually faded and everything felt strange. This did feel strange, but there also seemed to be a realness about it. Could this actually be happening? 

“I can feel your belief now, it’s becoming stronger. You don’t believe in what you’re saying at all are you?” The man asked.

Mrs Bennett didn’t reply as she was staring at the man’s face. She could see him clearer now, he had a long white beard that trailed to the floor and was adorned in a long cloak that belonged to someone from the middle ages. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought he was a historical reenactment actor. She couldn’t make out the rest of him because he was still too hazy.

“Keep believing, I know you can see me better. Ruth Bennett everything is real.” The man said. 

She couldn’t recall the last time someone had called her by her first name. Maybe her husband before he had left her and their two children for another woman and she had lost hope back then, believing the world was rotten and what had she done to deserve something like that. It had been Jamie who had brought her out, and shown her the magic of childhood again. He had babbled on endlessly for hours about the Easter Bunny and recently it had been Jack Frost. He had tried to tell her about the battle with the bogeyman. It had been when she had a bottle of wine, and she had put it down to her son’s fantasies.

The way he talked about it though, it was like it was real and his imagination was great but he had talked about some things she wasn’t even aware that he knew about. The more she thought about, the more it seemed real. Could magic actually be real? The man started to appear more in front of her and she could finally see his face. She couldn’t tell if he was young or old, it was like he was an amalgamation of the two. He had wrinkles but his skin was also impossibly young. It was like he wasn’t supposed to be.

“You finally believe, Ruth Bennett.” The man smiled and waved his hand. 

She could move again and she flexed her fingers.

She couldn’t believe it. Magic was real? The child in her was delighted and the adult in her was terrified.

“Who are yo-you?” She stammered.

“My true name has been lost but I do believe human children call me Father Time, I am responsible of all of time.”

Deep in her memories, she had heard of Father Time but he had never really been a relevant figure in the myths of childhood except for those that truly researched into him, and children didn’t really want to do that.

“What do you want?” She asked looking up at him.

“You’re going to go back in time, three hundred years ago. Your son and daughter are there, you shall bring them home. You’re the last piece I need to fix the time-line.” He said.

“Timeline? What?” She asked, confused.

“No time now, go!” He shouted.

The next thing she knew her world was spinning.


End file.
